AROMA 2/30
Before water, minty alcohol. After water it just got weaker.

MOUTH-FEEL 2/10
Very much like diluted unflavored alcohol.

TASTE 3/20
Bitter, with a little anise. Just enough so it can be spotted in the taste.

OVERALL IMPRESSION 3/10
Too weak in everything but color before water. It would require more herbal punch to be considered
an absinthe. And the bitterness is not good, no.

Bruno Rygseck scores Absenta Tunel, green 17 out of 100

Old reviews:

[Pennekamp]

As I sit sipping a glass of TUNEL absinthe in my Pernod-Tarragon individual fountain glass, I can make what I hope to be an honest comparison to DEVA of which I just had a glass and is one of my favorite absinthes. TUNEL is dark olive green in a clear bottle and is quite alcoholic at 70%. It clouds slightly with the addition of water but does not louche in the traditional sense. For my taste sugar is a definte plus with this variety. Having graduated from HILL's, which was my first experiment with absinthe and is now only a bad memory, I expected a similar experience. Happily TUNEL's is much superior to any of the Czech varieties of which I have tried four. TUNEL is mildly licorice in flavor but its flavors are a bit overwhelmed by the alcohol.While I can barely put away a single glass of HILL's now that my palate is educated, TUNEL's is a much more pleasant and flavorful experience. I noticed no real effect from wormwood but find it to be a nice if occasional alternative to my favorite Spanish brands of DEVA, MARI MAYANS and the more pricy Swiss LA BLEUE. I recommend TUNEL for the true aficionado who wants to educate his/her palate to the better absinthes available on the world market. At the very least you get a hell of a bang for your buck!

[Ted Breaux]

I just received a bottle of Absenta Tunel from Elixirs. As usual, her service was prompt, and the bottle arrived well packaged and in one piece.

Although the bottle I have is identical to the one pictured in the review (clear glass, 700mL), the label is considerably different. I'll post a good pic when I return home at the beginning of the week. Nevertheless, the front of the bottle is clearly marked "Absenta Tunel" against a background of sketched absinthium leaves. There is an inscription on the front label, and testing my Spanish from memory reads something to the equivalent of, "Absenta Tunel has an incomparable aroma and flavor, which results in a drink of grand character; which (one) is able to drink very cold and mixed with water". Amusingly, the bottle is labeled as "140 PROFF".

The back label has English verbiage which says, "The secret of this delicious drink is based on the exact proportions of natural extracts of star anise, coriander, and absinthe or wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)."

It goes on to say, "Serve very cold, in the traditional way with a sugar lump, Absenta Tunel, and add water to taste. (Aniseed spirituous liquor)."

The liqueur is a vibrant green, and naturally, is artificially colored. The scent is one which smells primiarly of absinthium. Tasting this product reveals that it is thin, but drinkable. According to the label, this product is macerated from extracts, not distilled. Of course, it could just be worded that way, as it does seem to be smooth for a macerated product. Of course, this could be deceiving because the herbal/essence content is very light.

This product is thin in content and doesn't louche well, and is probably best taken neat (like Sebor). Adding water just seems to thin it out, and adding sugar would probably obliterate any remaining flavor. I can taste star anise, but it is rather faint and subdued. I do not taste the coriander. I do however, taste absinthium, as it is the primary flavor. For those of you who wanted to know what absinthium tastes like in the liquor, have a whiff and taste of this, and you'll find out.

All in all, I rate this product as somewhat better in flavor than the Czech swill (I am excluding Sebor Marc), but it is simple and very light in content. I think the extent of its usefulness is in educating the consumer to the flavor of absinthium, because other than a hint of star anise, that is what you taste.